Deadly Deception (26 page)

"Why the hell did you hand me the pot like that?  You made me drop it and now I'll be damn lucky if I don't have third degree burns.  Go get my medical bag, you fool!" he screamed.  She dashed out of the room and returned with his bag. "Get out of my sight!"

He threw the bag in a chair and went back to the paper to read the article.  Jesus Christ!  They'd found Ally Black's body. His heart raced and he held his breath as he read.

The body of a sixteen-year-old girl found in a wooded area near Kramer has been identified as Ally Black. The medical examiner reports her death as a homicide.  The Sheriff's Department will not release additional information about the homicide at this time.  Area residents are becoming more and more fearful that a serial killer may be at work.  The body of another young girl, Mandy Morris, was found in the exact location not even a month ago
.

What in God's name was David Chambers thinking dumping both bodies in the same place?  The man was a moron.  Damn it.  And now
he
was in so deep with Chambers he'd undoubtedly go down with him if he didn't do something.  He needed to have a strategy but how could he plan when he was so freaked out.  He inhaled a deep cleansing breath and exhaled in an attempt to calm himself.

Maybe the situation was not as bad as he imagined.  If the sheriff had anything substantial, they'd have it in the paper.  At the very worst, the police would've already pounded on his door. The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Suddenly, he knew what he'd have to do.  He had to eliminate the link between David and himself.  He'd have to eliminate David Chambers.  But not before Chambers killed Jennifer Brennan for him. 

He threw his napkin on the table and headed for the basement to see how far along the workers were.  He needed to make sure Jennifer Brennan kept her mouth closed and the only way to do that was to lock her in that room just as soon as he could manage it. 

Frankie Douglas woke up in heavenly bliss with Lane's long, hard body spooning her, his arm possessively thrown across her, holding her in place.  She listened to his even breathing and smiled.  She'd never had a lover like Lane. Sex with him was an athletic event. 

She hoped the house was insulated well, because Lane, true to his promise, had kissed each part of her body, and did some other equally erotic things until she gripped the sheets in both hands, arched her back, and screamed. 

His arm tightened around her, letting her know he was awake.  Then she felt him plant soft kisses on her neck and shoulders as his warm hand flattened on her tummy.  She felt like purring like a cat as she snuggled closer feeling his erection.  Let the athletics begin.

David Chambers pounded the hood of the Lincoln Town Car in a fit of rage.  His wife and kids had not checked into the Nashville hotel.  They'd cancelled their reservations.  Now, he had no freaking idea where she was headed.  Added to his anger was the fact that he was quickly running out of money since his wife had drained their joint bank account.  He got in the car and punched Eric Caine's phone number into his cell.

"Hello."

David knew the doctor always checked his display to see who was calling him so why was he answering the phone like that? 

"It's David. My wife took my kids and left me.  I followed her to a hotel in Nashville, but the bitch cancelled her reservation.  I have no idea where she went and I'm out of money."

"And that's my problem, why?" 

"I'll tell you why. I need money and you're going to wire it to me."  What was with the attitude?

"What if I don't?"

"If you don't wire $5,000 to me within the next hour, you're going to wish you'd never met me."

"I already do."

"What are you talking about?"

"A little article in the paper caught my attention this morning, David.  It seems the body of a young woman was found in a wooded area near Kramer."

"Shit."

"Oh, and that's not all.  It seems the body was found in the exact place another young woman's body was found.  Does the name Mandy Morris ring a bell?"

"You're kidding.  I didn't think either one of them would be found for years."

"You were wrong, you freaking idiot!  What the fuck have you done?!  I only wish that were the only thing going wrong.  Jennifer Brennan came to see me about her theory that you did something to Ally Black.  If she runs her mouth to the police, it's over — the adoption agency, the clinic, the money, cars, and houses.  I'll lose it all."

"I'll head right back and take care of Jennifer Brennan."

"No you won't.  I have plans for her that don't include you at the moment.  Stay away until I call you to come back."

"But what am I going to do about money?"

"Figure something out.  I'm not giving you squat."

Paul Vance stood outside Jennifer's dormitory and just stared at the building while he cursed himself.  It was his fault things were such a mess.

He should've proposed to her the minute he found out she was pregnant with his child.  Hell, he should have asked her to elope.  God knew how much he loved her.  He'd come close to proposing to Jennifer at least a dozen times the past two years.  He knew by the third date that he wanted to spend his life with her.  So what did he do when she needed him most?

He turned his back on her.  First he accused her of getting pregnant on purpose.  That was a laugh. 
He
was the one who forgot the condoms that night. 
He
was the one who was so turned on he couldn't stop. 

But even worse than the accusation, he'd suggested she have an abortion.  He actually told her to kill his baby that was growing inside her.  What kind of monster was he?

When was he ever this miserable and filled with self-pity?  Never.  Of course, he'd never made a mistake of this magnitude before.  His parents would disown him if they knew what he'd done.  He'd deserve it.  If Jennifer never forgave him, he'd deserve that too.

Paul leaned against a tree.  He knew he looked like crap with dark circles hovering beneath his eyes and he'd lost weight.  Even his coach had made a comment about his appearance and had asked if he was sick.  Paul couldn't sleep because every time he did he dreamed of Jennifer and that last night together.  He was having trouble with his grades because he couldn't concentrate on his studies.  Paul could do nothing but think of Jennifer and how he might never see her again.

Then there was his baby.  Suddenly the world was filled with happy parents pushing their babies in strollers.  Paul saw them everywhere.  He wanted that kind of happiness for Jennifer and himself no matter what price he had to pay.  Even if it meant quitting school and getting a job.  He could finish his degree online or in the evenings.  Other people did it, so could he. 

But could he really do it?  Could he give up his chance at pro football?  His coach had told him he had an excellent chance of getting drafted.  It was something Paul had dreamed of since childhood.  Maybe he could work it out so he could marry Jennifer, stay in school and stay on the football team.  Then he’d still have a chance for the pros.  Perhaps Jennifer could drop out of school and get a job until the baby arrived.

Paul didn't blame Jennifer for ignoring his voice mail and email messages.  He'd called her or had written several times per day for weeks and he received no response.  Yesterday, he'd made the decision.  He was going to see her no matter what. He couldn't take it any longer.  If he had to wait outside her dorm night and day, he'd do it.  She had to listen to him.  She had to forgive him.  He'd gotten dressed in a white shirt and patterned tie with black pants.  She'd always liked it when he got dressed up.

He noticed her friend, Carrie, come out of the dorm and he approached her.

"Hey, Carrie.  I'm looking for Jennifer.  Have you seen her?"

"No, I haven't.  But you can go upstairs and ask her roommate.  She might know where she is."

He took her advice, entered the building and took the elevator up to the fifth floor.  In a moment, he was knocking on Jennifer's door.  The door whipped open and her roommate, Tobi, invited him in and motioned for him to sit down. 

"I'm looking for Jennifer."  He looked around the room, half expecting to see her at her desk.

"That makes two of us."

"What do you mean?" 

"It means I haven't seen her for weeks.  In fact, none of us on this floor have.  None of my friends have seen her on campus attending classes either.  I've asked."

"Weeks?"  Suddenly he was filled with apprehension.

He watched as Tobi moved toward Jennifer's closet and slid back the door.  "This is all I know."  She moved aside so he could see that the closet was empty.  All of Jennifer's belongings were gone.

He left the building and walked around for an hour trying to think of where Jennifer might have gone.  At one point, he pulled out his cell and called her.  Still no answer.  He left a message.  "Jennifer, damn it, call me back.  I'm worried sick.  Where are you?"

It turned out to be a mid-afternoon teleconference debriefing with Sheriff Brennan that didn't brief anyone of much of anything. 

“There’s no word from forensics regarding any DNA found on Ally Black's clothing,” Lane reported.  “The lab is so backed up I don’t expect to hear anything about DNA in the cases for six to eight months.  Nothing to report on the shoe and tire prints found at Ally's crime scene either.” 

Lane paused before giving his boss the last bit of bad news.  “In addition, ATF hasn't sent the ballistics report about the bullet found in Mandy's body and the one found in Ally's clothing.  We still have no clue what kind of gun the killer used.” 

Frankie reported, “Dr. Caine recently purchased a house in the Cayman Islands.”

“No kidding,” said the sheriff.  “Check to see if he has bank accounts there too.”

“There’s something else,” she began.  “At the party, Dr. Caine told me he’d have a baby for us soon.”

“That means he’ll want the additional fifty thousand.  I’ll get the marked bills ready.” 

“He made an odd remark that the child's mother had an uncanny resemblance to me.”

“Frankie, it’s obvious the guy has it bad for you.  He said that to impress you,” said Lane.

“I wish I could agree with you but I can’t shake the feeling that the remark means something.”

Sheriff Brennan didn't have much to add except the media was driving him crazy with their serial killer theories.  He said he'd talked to half the residents of the entire county over the past week.  The sheriff had done his best to calm them down, but didn't feel he’d made much progress.  People were locking their doors and arming themselves.  The murders were all people were talking about. The gossip only accelerated the fear that ran rampant throughout the county.